BWW Reviews: Paul Taylor's ESPLANDE Outshines at Lincoln Center

Paul Taylor is the last of the living great modern choreographers of the 20th century. He began creating dances in 1954 and has worked with some of the biggest names of the dance world, including Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, and George Balanchine; he has collaborated with some of today's most important visual artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Ellsworth Kelly, and Jasper Johns. Many, if not all, choreographers cite him as an inspiration for their work. Paul Taylor's repertory should be permanently placed on a syllabus for any dance enthusiast. Saturday night's performance at Lincoln Center's David Koch Theatre showed the highs and the lows of Paul Taylor Dance Company.

The program started with Byzantium, a revival work that was originally choreographed in 1984. The program suggests that Byzantium was influenced by the last line of Yeats' Sailing to Byzantium: "Of what is past, passing or to come." Taylor created a dystopian world where golden and bronze clad "citizens" are subjugated by a robed, ruling body. Do they represent religion? Government? Is there supposed to be a difference between the two in this world? Byzanitum is divided into three scenes. The first, taking place entirely in the proscenium of the stage in front of a long and narrow rectangular set, introduces the "citizens." They flail about on stage; a few wear metallic costumes but many are in grey. The second scene, in front of a square set and taking place primarily in the center of the stage, introduces the ruling body. They are costumed in robes and are wearing glittering skullcaps that refract the bright stage lights. The ruling body dances together, often connected during each movement, contrasting with the individual leaps of the earlier scene. When the ruling body is disconnected, they pose as icons with two fingers raised in blessing. The final scene, in front of a set covering the entire scrim and using the whole stage, shows the ruling body observing the citizens marching. The citizens have entirely assimilated and are wearing gold. The citizens run, skip, and march in time together under the observation of the ruling body. The scene is briefly interrupted with an uprising and ends with the triumph of the ruling body-although their superiority is never fully explained. While this work is entertaining, it feels very much rooted in the '80s, from the gold lame costumes to the sci-fi movie plot.

American Dreamer premiered in 2013 at the Vail International Dance Festival and uses music and props to create its frontier setting. The piece is set up as a meta reference to itself, with dancers sitting on benches to watch the others when they are not dancing. Unfortunately, American Dreamer is all conceptwithout any substance. The most interesting part is in the finale where Taylor plays with traditional American line and square dancing.However, this moment is too brief to be truly captivating or meaningful. The majority of the piece is spent in slapstick vignettes with storylines such as "My wife is crazy and controlling" and "Can I trick one of these sleepwalking women into running into me?" Perhaps if Taylor had concentrated on the movement and emotion, he could have made a more interesting statement.

Esplanade was the star of the evening. The audience had clearly been waiting impatiently and began by applauding as the curtains opened. Esplanade is one of Taylor's most celebrated works and was originally created in 1975. Set to two of Bach's violin concertos, Taylor spans human emotion. The audience witnesses joy, loneliness, and love. Each movement is simple but meaningful-some of the most dynamic moments are of the dancers literally running across the stage. Instead of dancing to the music, Taylor has the performers dance with and around the music. They change their timing and steps on a dime but always are connected to each other. Taylor uses negative space on stage to create loneliness and then fills it with dancers to portray a rush of emotion. The effect is breathtaking and exhilarating; it It takes the audience on a journey but allows them to draw their own conclusions, symbolized by the captivating Michelle Fleet left alone on stage at the end of the performance.

Following American Dreamer with Esplanade highlighted the shallowness of the former work. In Esplanade, Taylor has created a work that the audience can return to over and over again and find new depths. This is undoubtedly why it continues to be at the forefront of classic American modern dance. Any choreographer would be lucky to leave such a legacy.

Image by Paul B. Goode

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